Brussels, 12/05/2014 (Agence Europe) - At its 498th plenary session at the end of April, the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) adopted an action plan for “a strong, solidarity-based Europe”. It features concrete initiatives and proposals based around three pillars: economic union, social union and democratic and citizens' union.
At a time when EU citizens' trust in the European Union has reached an all-time low of 31% and concerns about unemployment and the economic situation dominate the public debate, it is essential to provide a response which is not nationalism or populism, but European action, argues the EESC. It presents detailed recommendations aiming to get civil society more closely involved in economic governance (see other article in the Economy and Finances section).
The EESC is proposing to build a fair Europe by rethinking social union in order to stimulate growth and employment. It feels that politics should be based around the citizens rather than the markets. The EESC calls on the European institutions to develop social union based on the following priorities: - laying emphasis on social cohesion in all policy areas; - putting together a new European social agenda with all stakeholders (re-industrialising Europe, improving services, reducing and eradicating mass unemployment, guaranteeing the fundamental social rights, promoting entrepreneurship and new jobs, etc); - guaranteeing the free movement of workers, thereby preserving the right to live and work in another country, which is one of the fundamental freedoms of the European Union (the CESE has expressed concern at the current opposition to the freedom of movement of workers and recommends new measures to create fair mobility); - laying down European standards on a minimum income; - improving prospects for young people (the EESC proposes a youth employment programme); - promoting social partnership and the autonomy of collective negotiations (agreements concluded in the context of social dialogue should be converted into binding legislation, if the social partners wish it to be, the EESC argues); - developing priorities at European level concerning “work 4.0” (sufficient rights for workers and proper provisions on health and safety); - guaranteeing the absence of discrimination and the presence of equal opportunities for all, which presupposes the eradication of discrimination based on sex in social protection matters, a more effective guarantee of equal pay, an increase in the percentages of women on company boards of directors and extending the scope of application of the equal treatment directive beyond the employment sector (the EESC is also calling for an end to discrimination based on disability in the field of social protection); - protocol on social progress in the treaties.
Its third axis will be building a democratic Europe for the citizens, with the emergence of a European public space. To this end, the EESC urgently calls on the European institutions to make rapid progress in order to promote democracy and civic involvement, in particular by implementing the following proposals: - the organisation by the EU of a European convention based on participative democracy and active citizenship (to be launched in 2015, says the EESC); - the reinforcement of participative democracy mechanisms, in line with article 11 of the Treaty on the EU. In this regard, the EESC also recommends: - an in-depth study of the procedures which currently exist in order to ensure that civil society is getting involved; - extension of the transparency register (for lobbies) to include the Council; - the creation, by the European institutions, of a single database containing information on contacts, consultations and dialogue with civil society; - the creation of an annual report to show the extent to which participative democracy is already in practice in the EU; - the institution of classes on Europe, its culture and its history in all member states; - particular attention paid to the fundamental rights conferred by citizenship of the EU; - the adoption of a status of the European Foundation and the European Association; - an immediate re-examination by the European Commission of minimum consultation levels; - the presentation by the European Commission of a Green Paper proposing a clear policy aiming to establish a permanent and stable framework for vertical, transversal and horizontal civil dialogue; - the granting to third-country nationals who are long-term residents in the EU of the same rights as citizens of the Union. The Charter of fundamental rights is applicable to all individuals residing in Europe, not just EU citizens. The EU should therefore, according to the EESC, adopt an immigration code providing greater transparency and legal clarity regarding the rights and freedoms of third-country nationals residing in the EU; - the promotion of projects which are visible to the citizens, such as the European “youth” card, the European university and the creation of a structured public space for European civil dialogue. (LC)